Avery County holds public hearing on CDBG neighborhood revitalization grant to build senior center

County staff opened a public hearing at the Sept. 9 meeting to gather citizen input on Avery County’s planned application to the North Carolina Department of Commerce for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Neighborhood Revitalization funds to assist in construction of a new senior center.

A county staff member identified in the meeting as “Michelle” told the board that the Department of Commerce has roughly $12.2 million budgeted for the program and that the maximum award for hurricane-impacted counties is $5 million. Michelle summarized program rules the board must follow, including the requirement that at least 51% of beneficiaries be low- and moderate-income households, defined at the meeting as under 80% of county median income.

Michelle said the county’s application is seeking the highest award allowable for counties impacted by the storm and that the application deadline to the Department of Commerce is Oct. 29. She said a second required public hearing will be held at the board’s October meeting before the application is submitted.

Why it matters: The county indicated the proposed project would be a public facility—specifically a new senior center—and that the program’s income eligibility rules mean the project must primarily serve low- and moderate-income residents.

Public comment and board action: No members of the public signed up to speak at the hearing. The board voted to open the public hearing and later voted to close it; staff said the county intends to request the full $5 million maximum for a hurricane-affected county when it files the application.

Ending: If the board approves the application at its October meeting, staff said the county would submit its October 29 application to the Department of Commerce for consideration.